DETROIT — The Pistons were no match for the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Led by Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., the Grizzlies dealt the Pistons a 122-112 loss in the final game of their four-game homestand.
Morant began the game as a facilitator, but called his own number in the second half by scoring 21 of his game-high 33 points in the third quarter. He also tallied 10 assists and five rebounds.
The All-Star guard is known for his explosiveness and highlight-worthy plays, and there were no shortage of them against Detroit.
Early in the third quarter, Morant dribbled past Killian Hayes and threw down a vicious one-handed tomahawk slam to give the Grizzlies an 18-point lead. Later in the quarter, Morant caught threw down an alley-oop slam in which he was eye level with the rim.
Jackson complimented Morant’s dominance with 22 points. The Grizzlies connected on 15-of-35 from the 3-point line.
With the loss, Detroit falls to 6-19. Memphis improves to 14-9.
The Pistons trailed by 18 entering the fourth quarter, but made a last ditch effort to bring the game within nine points with a little over a minute remaining. Jaden Ivey had a chance to make the game slightly interesting by cutting the deficit to seven, but Morant soared for a chasedown block to secure the win.
Detroit nearly overcame a 19-point first-half deficit, but couldn’t slow down the hot hand of Dillon Brooks. The 6-foot-6 forward scored 22 points, mainly due to his efficient night from the perimeter. He made five of his first six attempts from beyond the arc.
The Pistons were led by Saddiq Bey, who scored a team-high 24 points off the bench. Before the game, Pistons coach Dwane Casey said he sees Bey as a starter, but his skillset is best used in the second unit. Bey spent most of his time driving to the basket. He got to the line 12 times and made a team-high nine free throws.
Killian Hayes, who buried back-to-back 3-pointers to propel the Pistons past Dallas on Thursday, finished with 13 points and six assists.
Detroit was without Isaiah Livers due to a right shoulder strain, so Jaden Ivey returned to the starting lineup. The rookie guard finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Detroit entered the game leading the NBA in free throws attempts (26.8) and makes (20.7). They got to the stripe often on Sunday as well. The Pistons made 25-of-30 from the free throw line. Eight of those free throws were from Bojan Bogdanovic, who finished with 18 points on Sunday.
On the contrary, the Grizzlies were also regulars at the stripe, finishing 21-of-29 from the free-throw line.
The Grizzlies were without veteran center Steven Adams due to hip soreness, but they still managed to win the rebounding battle, 46-39.
The game got out of hand quickly. Memphis began the game on a 7-0 run, prompting a timeout by Pistons coach Dwane Casey. After the timeout, Jaden Ivey found Marvin Bagley III inside for an easy layup, but the Grizzlies continued to knock down perimeter shots.
The Pistons and Grizzlies met in the preseason, and the Grizzlies claimed a 126-111 victory. Morant scored 31 points in that game.
Detroit will look to rebound with a three-game roadtrip over the next week, starting with a Tuesday matchup against the Miami Heat.
